Pirates Sign Dutch Outfielder

by Charlie on May 11, 2009 6:29 PM EDT Comment 27 comments

This isn't huge news, but no one has reported it in English. Also, there's a post on Bert Blyleven below, so I guess we get to have a rare Netherlands day. Enjoy it, Dutchophiles!

The Pirates have signed a young Dutch player named Daan Cornelissen and will send him to Brisbane, Australia (?) to train. Cornelissen was recommended to the Pirates by Martin Nijhoff, who the Pirates recently hired to scout in the Netherlands. He seems to be a 17-year-old outfielder. Obviously, he's be a longshot to make the majors, but probably not in nearly the same way that, say, Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh are; several Dutch-bred players have become major leaguers (Rick Vanden Hurk) or at least good prospects (the Mariners' Greg Halman).

UPDATE: I just realized the Coonelly/Huntington Pirates have signed amateurs from six continents. Most of the players from last June's draft are from North America, Jonathan Barrios is from South America, Cornelissen is from Europe, Patel and Singh are from Asia, Mpho Ngoepe is from Africa, and Mitchell Fienemann is from Australia. Next stop, Antarctica?

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We’re saved!

by Suffering Buc on May 11, 2009 6:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t understand why people always seem to try to shut down discussion of topics like this with these types of comments. In the future I will delete them.

This isn’t a major move. No one’s claiming it is. Most moves, in well-run franchises as in poorly-run franchises, are not major, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

by Charlie on May 11, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I apologize for this, and I hate to come off as such a pompous bandwagoner.

It’s just in the midst of losing like this, I’m frustrated.

It’s nice to see that the team is establishing a global market for talent.

by Suffering Buc on May 11, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks. I understand your frustration!

by Charlie on May 11, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The link's in Dutch

PSV’er Daan Cornelissen heeft een zevenjarig contract getekend voor de professionele honkbalorganisatie Pittsburgh Pirates.

How do we know that doesn’t say, “Daan Cornelissen is such a terrible hockey player that sports afficionados say if he were a baseball player he’d play for the Pittsburgh Pirates”?

by WTM on May 11, 2009 7:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I translated it in Google, so I didn’t really use an English-language link. But here’s one.

by Charlie on May 11, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gesundheit

by thegunner on May 11, 2009 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it just says

he signed a 7-year contract :)

Too dumb for Baseball Prospectus, too smart for ESPN

by Bukanier on May 12, 2009 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Daan plays honkbal

I think the word “honkbalorganisatie” means “baseball organization”. If I were Dutch, I wouldn’t play any game called honkbal. NH should get to work changing that.

Process-wise, do we have a couple of scouts who travel the globe, watch someone like Daan play a couple games then offers him a contract to play for us? Sounds a lot like the glory days of scouting in the early 1900s. Its bringing back the romanticism that scouting has lost in the modern era. There aren’t any talented unknowns playing for small town teams any more. Maybe there are talented unknowns playing for small countries? Let’s hope so!

by Chad Bahamas on May 12, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right

and let’s especially hope that the most talented one of the lot is named Daan Cornelissen from Holland.

by WestCoastBuc on May 12, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I were Dutch, I wouldn’t play any game called honkbal.

I absolutely would. Heck, I’d play something called “honkbal” right now. I picture it as a cross between Calvin-ball and blurnsball.

by wickethewok on May 12, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, looking at the translated Dutch roster, I see they have an “Ass Coach.” It’s probably Jim Colborn under an assumed name.

by WTM on May 11, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

omg

that one made me laugh pretty good

Jason
The Hanging Curve

by poorboywilly on May 12, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Baseball is an international game-

let’s look everywhere for talent.

by patthatt on May 11, 2009 8:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And let's start looking much harder

in East Asia, especially Japan.

by patthatt on May 11, 2009 8:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm curious.

According to the translation…assuming it is accurate…the player is going to report to Brisbane on June 15th…which would…considering it being in the Southern Hemisphere…be like reporting in the middle of December stateside. And he’s only supposed to be there for 6 weeks (again…according to the translation).

That would take you to about August 1st. At that point…where do you send him to play ball, if he’s going to play before next spring?? I don’t think Instructional League in Florida gets going until mid-September…if I recall correctly. Winter ball is not until November or December in the Carribean…and Australia has no organized professional league any more…just the Claxton Shield Tournament…which usually isn’t until about December.

Maybe he’ll play the end of the European season…I don’t know. Just curious where he’s going to get the advanced experience needed for improvement.

by Thunder on May 11, 2009 8:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

Brisbane in Dutch = Bradenton?

Also: WTM = win & win

by bucdaddy on May 11, 2009 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope...

I did see the word “australian” in the Dutch version…very close to the word Brisbane.

Brisbane is far enough north (closer to the equator)…where they could play baseball pretty much year-around. (Think Miami…but not quite as much rain…and much fewer hurricanes). Normal summer highs mid 80s lows around 70…winters…highs around 70 lows around 50.

Just can’t find any organized high skill baseball being played in Australia during the Northern Hemisphere summer (June-August).

by Thunder on May 11, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

SOUL TRAIN!!

I, for one, welcome Mr. Cornelius to the organization.

by lost_zero on May 12, 2009 1:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh, man

Soul Train would be a great nickname if he ever becomes a real prospect. Well played.

by azibuck on May 12, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

With signings like this ...

and Rinku and Dinesh, I simply don’t get anyone who still thinks the H/C team isn’t already combing the world for talent, much less the minor leagues. It’s highly unlikely these guys will ever contribute, but it’s highly unlikely more than a handful of each American draft class ever will either. If nothing else, some ballplayers in India and the Netherlands might be able to point to Pittsburgh on a map now, and who knows what that will lead to down the road, in 10, 15 years?

by bucdaddy on May 12, 2009 11:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And maybe the day will come

when no respectable Indian would ever sign with the Yankees, as long as he had the chance to sign with the Pirates and follow in the footsteps of Rinku and Dinesh.

by WestCoastBuc on May 12, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs